Glimpses of Vedic Metaphysics: Relevance of Vedic Metaphysics in Modern Life

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This is not a book on religion but about eternal knowledge relating to the physical, social and spiritual sciences, with relevance to modern life. According to Yajur Veda this ageless, eternal knowledge was discovered by the wise sages of yore about 6,000 years ago. Maharishi Veda Vyasa then compiled this knowledge with the help of his students in the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas about 4,000 years ago. This book outlines this Vedic eternal (Sanatan) knowledge in plain English.

Prem Kumar Sabhlok (b. 1932), a former Controller General of Defence Accounts of India, received his Masters degree in Political Science from Punjab University in 1956 (standing first in the university). He served for two years as Professor of Political Science in a college in Ambala City. In 1959 he was selected for the Indian Defence Accounts Service.

After retirement in 1990 he reviewed the political philosophy of Plato and Socrates and discovered that their metaphysics has much in common with the metaphysics of the Vedas. His 3-hour talk on the Vedas in Los Angeles at the California State University Fullerton on 28 April 1997 prompted him to write this book to meet the request from students from different countries to know more about the Vedas. This book is based on an English translation of the Vedas. He has since given talks on Vedic metaphysics at many places including Hong Kong, Chennai, Pune and Delhi.

Out of about 17,000 hymns in the Vedas, slightly less than half relate to Metaphysics, which Bhagavad-Gita says is the supreme science. The remaining hymns pertain to mantras (in praise of God), scientific rituals/ceremonies and aryankas (simple rules for the old people). However, the Vedic metaphysics is meant for all ages. It relates to social and physical sciences, divine nature, cosmic laws of necessity, soul, spirit, formless and ineffable Supreme Soul and many other subjects.

No book can comprehensively cover Vedic metaphysics. This book only gives glimpses of Vedic metaphysics for the seekers of Vedic knowledge. The methodology utilized is dynamic equivalence and not formal equivalence. Every effort is made to give glimpses of Vedic metaphysics truthfully and without any distortion within my limited knowledge and capacity.

The Introduction brings out briefly the various metaphysical concepts in the Vedas. Since Vedic wisdom pertains to the cosmic working at all levels-from microcosm to macrocosm, their metaphysics comprehensively covers material, temporal, secular, spiritual and divine knowledge. In the material knowledge there is a mention of global trade for the welfare of mankind and need to manufacture fast moving aircrafts, vehicles and ships by the industrialists with the help of scientists. In the other areas there is a mention of establishing an ideal society where individuals following four divine professions (chatavar Varna asharam) are predominant. When the majority of individuals follow non- divine professions (avarna), society tends to become perverted. The Vedic universal education system is meant to allocate these divine professions based on one's aptitude, merit and ability. No hymn in the Vedas mentions that Brahman, Kashtriya, Vaish and Shudra Varna are based on birth.

Vedic religion is a spiritual science that aims at creating scientific outlook in society. Idol worship, belief in savage myths and aimless rituals are not advised. Dharma is Rta- the cosmic laws of social, moral and physical order. Having created these laws, even formless and ineffable God follows these laws sternly. The subtle divine Nature (Prakrti) is our supreme Mother. She is described as Maha Maya- the creator of phantasmagoria. Maya creates a golden disc and under its vehement effect the human senses find this phenomenal world as real.

The main Vedic concepts likeenlightened liberalism based on the philosophy of idd nan mmam- nothing for self all for society, need to create scientific outlook in the society, difference between soul and spirit, personal and impersonal God have been briefly mentioned. Since the focal point in Vedas is the individual and his/her welfare, all the metaphysical concepts are in this background. The Vedic hymns were formulated about 5 to 6 thousands years ago. However, these were compiled in three Vedas (treyi) more than three thousands years ago when Dark Age (Kaliyuga) already existed. The fourth Atharva Veda was compiled much later. Their metaphysics is even more relevant today as the cosmic Dark Age is now nearing its peak. Naked materialism has spread its tentacles in many areas leading to hydra headed corruption, glamorization of social criminals and spread of social, moral and physical pollution. It is also penetrating very fast into fake spiritualism and there is a large-scale rise of false prophets, fundamentalists and sycophants.

Being a former student of Political Science and Philosophy, on retirement from Indian Defence Accounts Service, I tried to revive my earlier interest in the political philosophy of Plato, Aristotle, Kautilya and many other lovers of wisdom and steadily drifted towards metaphysics that Bhagavad-Gita says is the supreme science. During the drift I came across a few very unusual but interesting statements. It was even more significant to know their political and metaphysical views relating to God, Nature, soul, spirit, phantasmagoria-the illusory world of senses and many other subjects.

Plato mentions in his Laws (174-f) and also in Utopia that in an ideal state the range of economic disparities should be within 1:16. If the range of disparity increases marginally, the state is less ideal. However, if it Increases considerably, the state is either a Democracy or an Oligarchy. The rulers in both tend to be tyrannical, corrupt, and hypocritical. In his metaphysics, Plato says that the soul of virtuous people becomes lighter and goes toward heaven by moving upward after death and that of the non-virtuous, being heavier, stays near the earth and is the cause of rebirth. On rebirth, people may be born in families professing different faiths, religions, as well as in the different regions of the earth. Plato thus becomes one of the few ancient philosophers who gave a perfect philosophical theory on secularism and universal brotherhood.

In an ideal state, which he described as Republic, divine guidance is the maximum and in Tyranny it reaches its minimum and world dissolution comes when that divine guidance is totally withdrawn. Plato's observation of 1:16 immediately connected my thought process with the philosophical views of Mahatma Gandhi who used to say that in an ideal state i.e. Ramrajya, the income disparities between the rich and the poor should be between 1:10. The actual disparities in India are now much beyond 1:1000 and still going up. If this trend continues in India, his Ramrajya will remain a utopla. Aristotle did not suggest any such ratios but like many other Greek philosophers recommended the concept of "golden mean". Buddha had already advised the "middle path". The Vedas and Bhagavad-Gita strongly advise moderation for an ideal way of life to achieve perfection.

This drift from political philosophy to metaphysics continued till I came across vastly different six Schools of Indian philosophy popularly known as the Sad Darshana and found that all these Schools are based on Vedic metaphysics and Upanishads thus creating unity in diversity. During this search from political philosophy to the Vedic metaphysics one wonders whether these lovers of wisdom like Socrates, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Yajnavalkya, king Janaka of Videha, Sankracharya, Ramanujam and many others were ordinary human beings or devas (shining ones) as mentioned in the Vedas. Throughout my life I avoided reading the scriptures, fearing that I might become a fanatic or fundamentalist or live in a world of hallucination. However, I would read the celestial song Bhagavad-Gita occasionally, as I did not find any organized religion there. It is a didactic book mainly on spiritual science containing an ethical social philosophy relating to nishkam karma -action without any self-interest and sankhya yoga - path of knowledge.

After retirement, I made an attempt to study certain other scriptures particularly the holy Koran in Urdu script (Roshan Chiragh) and its English translation by N.J. Dawood one of the Penguin classics. Other scriptures studied were Old and New Testaments, a few Upanishads, Patanjali's Yoga Shastra and four Vedas (English translation by Arya Pratinidhi Sabha and also a few volumes translated by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati). A large number of other books on philosophy and metaphysics were obtained from various libraries in India and U.S.A. Most of the didactic books of Hindu dharma and Sikh religion mentioned that the highest scriptures are the Vedas. Adi Grantha-the sacred book of Sikh religion says, "asankh garantha mukhi Ved path". It literally means there are countless scriptures but the most sacred is the study of Vedas.